Millions of children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) lack access to quality education. In 2020 an estimated 617 million children worldwide were not learning basic numeracy and literacy skills, including approximately 258 million children who were not going to school at all.
Non-state schools can play an important role in aiding overburdened state education systems in LMICs by fulfilling unmet demand. Currently, at least 350 million children are supported directly by non-state actors, and many other indirectly. Impact investors and foundations can inject critical resources into these non-state providers. The Education Finance Network, which convenes foundations, impact investors and education ecosystem builders, will share insights into the most effective ways that private finance can contribute to increasing access to and quality of education in LMICs.
